On the vast and boundless Continent of Kings, inside the study of an inconspicuous general's residence in a small nation…
A fourteen-year-old black-haired boy lay sprawled across the desk, his right hand scribbling furiously as he copied from a medical book. His left hand, however, was busy rubbing his swollen backside—an unfortunate result of his latest mischief. Every now and then, he let out a pained "Ouch! Ouch!"
"Father really hit hard this time… Am I even his real son?"
"And Grandfather! Seriously? Just because I accidentally blew up his alchemy furnace, he had to go and tattle to Father? And now he's even left to 'travel and clear his mind'?" The boy muttered his grievances under his breath.
His name was Asura, the third son of Afengtian, the Grand General of Aulai Kingdom.
For three generations, the A family had served as military guardians of the nation. Asura's grandfather, A Dao Fu, had helped the royal family expand their territory, laying the foundation for the kingdom's current stability. His father, Afengtian, led the elite Mountain Shaking Army, the kingdom's most formidable force.
His mother, Qin Lan, was a gentle and wise wood-element mage who managed the household with exceptional skill. His maternal grandfather, Qin Zongren, was a renowned physician and alchemist of great prestige in Aulai.
But Aulai was merely one of the fourteen vassal states under the Valencia Empire, its power insignificant—akin to an ant—on the grand stage of the Continent of Kings.
Afengtian and Qin Lan had four children.
The eldest son, A Naga, was eighteen—a talented young man, excelling in both literature and martial arts. He had already reached the first rank of Martial Master and was well-versed in military strategy, capable of leading troops into battle.
The second son, A Subo, was fifteen—obsessed with martial arts, showing no interest in anything else. Currently at the third rank of Martial Warrior, he was determined to enter Augustus Academy for advanced studies later that year.
The youngest daughter, Azhiya, was twelve. A budding beauty, she had already awakened wood-element magic, just like her mother, and had reached the second level of Magic Apprentice, showing boundless potential.
Yet, despite such a remarkable family, the real issue lay with the third son—Asura!
From an early age, Asura displayed extraordinary intelligence, boasting an exceptional memory and a sharp mind. However, he had no interest in academics or martial arts. Instead, he preferred causing chaos—climbing rooftops, chasing dogs and chickens—he simply loved to play!
Three tutors quit in anger, and two fainted from sheer frustration while attempting to educate him.
But thanks to his photographic memory, Asura could effortlessly recall everything he skimmed through before an exam, scraping by with passable results.
Frustrated, his father threw him into the Mountain Shaking Army, hoping military discipline would straighten him out. But instead, the camp became a war zone of pranks:
In the dead of night, emergency drums would sound, summoning confused officers and soldiers for an urgent assembly—only to realize they had been fooled, cursing as they trudged back to bed.
Soldiers using the latrine found their privies rigged with firecrackers, sending waste flying a meter high.
Cavalry training was disrupted when mysterious hands smeared grease on saddles, causing riders to slip off mid-gallop.
Everyone knew who the culprit was, but Asura always had a perfect alibi, leaving the officers fuming but unable to punish him.
His pranks continued until one fateful day—when Vice General Han Dang bit into a bun and found a toad inside.
A battle-hardened warrior, Han Dang collapsed in despair, weeping at the gates of the general's residence, begging for Asura to be removed.
Seeing this, Afengtian had no choice but to drag Asura back home, where he resumed wreaking havoc.
His father often erupted in rage, veins bulging from his forehead, while his grandfather, A Dao Fu, merely stroked his beard and chuckled, remarking, "This boy will achieve great things one day."
His mother, Qin Lan, was fiercely protective. Every time Afengtian raised his hand to discipline Asura, she would pull the boy into her arms and glare, her expression clearly stating: "If you hit my baby again, you're sleeping in the study tonight!"
Despite everything, the four siblings were incredibly close. Asura never bullied his older brothers or younger sister.
Whenever he was punished, his brothers would kneel before their father, pleading on his behalf, even offering to take his punishment. His sister, meanwhile, would run to fetch their mother or grandfather to rescue him.
And so, Asura grew up carefree. Being born into a military family, he despised the hardships of martial arts training—suffering wasn't fun, and if it wasn't fun, he wanted no part of it.
Yet, because of his innate talent and sharp mind, just from watching his brothers train during punishments and enduring frequent beatings, he somehow accidentally advanced to Martial Warrior Rank One—without any formal training!
As for today's thrashing—that was due to an unfortunate incident in his grandfather's alchemy room.
Somehow, he had blown up the alchemy furnace, destroyed a batch of precious pills, and completely ruined the lab.
He tried to sneak away, but his grandfather caught him red-handed.
Previously, Qin Zongren had adored Asura, impressed by his prodigious memory and quick comprehension of medical texts. The boy could recite entire books after a single read and had even mastered the Qin family's secret acupuncture technique within three days.
Asura, however, only learned acupuncture because he found it entertaining.
His grandfather had been overjoyed—until the day he saw Asura paralyze the family's black dog with acupuncture and laugh hysterically at the poor creature's struggles.
That day, the great physician nearly collapsed in rage, bedridden for half a month.
Finally recovered and determined to correct his grandson's ways, Qin Zongren returned to his alchemy—only to witness his lab reduced to rubble.
Fearing an early death if this continued, he dragged Asura to Afengtian, tossed him at his father's feet, and stormed off on a journey to calm his mind.
Afengtian, learning the full story, did not hold back.
Even Qin Lan, usually Asura's shield, was furious this time—her father had been driven away!
His brothers kept silent, and his sister didn't dare speak up.
Afengtian, exhausted from the long beating, reassured himself with the thought: At least I still have two good sons and one good daughter…
With a sigh, he finally dropped his hand, saying, "Get to the study and copy medical texts. No food until you finish."
And thus, the scene was set.
Asura, rubbing his bruised backside, furiously copied the text at lightning speed.
Not that he needed to read it—he already knew the entire book by heart.
Right now, he just wanted to finish copying this thick medical book as quickly as possible. The young boy's stomach couldn't afford to miss a single meal.
Although he was mumbling complaints under his breath, his mind was occupied with something else—something he had never shared with anyone before: a secret...